Means To A Better End, a report on end-of-life issues from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, contains state report cards grading the efforts of state governments in facilitating kinder and gentler dying. Utah doesn't come off very well, although it gets an A for state pain policies, and Bs for the amount of time patients spend in ICUs and the percentage of physicians who are certified in palliative care. The lowest grades were for hospice and palliative care programs in hospitals.

No state scored very high in the survey, so this is one item that will not find its way to the news sections of state government websites.

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